De Tommasi E, Rea I, Mocella V, Moretti L, De Stefano M, Rendina I, De Stefano L
Department of Naples, National Council for Research, Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems, Via P Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Opt Express. 2010 Jun 7;18(12):12203-12. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.012203.
The characterization of partially coherent light transmission by micrometer sized valves of marine diatoms is an interesting optical challenge and, from the biological point of view, is of outmost relevance in order to understand evolution mechanisms of such organisms. In the present work, we have studied the transmission of light coming from a monochromator through single valves of Coscinodiscus wailesii diatoms. Incoming light is confined by the regular pore pattern of the diatom surface into a spot of few microns, its dimensions depending on wavelength. The effect is ascribed to the superposition of wavefronts diffracted by the pores' edges. Numerical simulations help to demonstrate how this effect is not present in the ultraviolet region of the light spectrum, showing one of the possible evolutionary advantages represented by the regular pores patterns of the valves.
通过海洋硅藻的微米级瓣膜对部分相干光传输进行表征是一个有趣的光学挑战，并且从生物学角度来看，对于理解此类生物的进化机制具有至关重要的意义。在本研究中，我们研究了来自单色仪的光通过威氏圆筛藻单个瓣膜的传输情况。入射光被硅藻表面规则的孔隙图案限制在一个几微米的光斑中，其尺寸取决于波长。这种效应归因于孔隙边缘衍射的波前叠加。数值模拟有助于证明在光谱的紫外区域不存在这种效应，这显示了瓣膜规则孔隙图案所代表的一种可能的进化优势。
